Addition to: Scrapes, Miner Cuts and Gashes Thank you for printing the article Scrapes, Miner Cuts and Gashes. It was complete and very informative. I have a couple of additions to make.
1) Take a picture of the injury so that you can text it to your veterinarian. A picture is most helpful in informing your vet of the seriousness of the injury. It also will give, if you take pictures periodically, a record of the injury’s progress. 2) To obtain your horse’s heart beat put your left hand behind the horse’s left elbow and press hard. This is sometimes easier than getting it at the horse’s jaw.
3) My rule of thumb is if the scrape/cut is wet put a drying agent on it i.e. Blue Coat or Wonder Dust (alum) unless it’s bleeding steadily and then use pressure; if the cut is dry put on Scarlet Oil or an ointment like Bag Balm. If you keep a scab soft I think the injury heals faster and hopefully without a scar.
Louise Lester, Raymond, ME
Louise H. Lester PO Box 346 Raymond, Maine 04071 207-894-8185
louise1@maine.rr.com
